PPP pursuing ‘wait and watch’ policy

With the ‘powerful circles’ overtly supporting the PML-N, the PPP cannot point the finger at it, fearing the instant ramifications of annoying the ‘kingmakers’ of the time, a leader of the latter party told The Express Tribune while commenting on the political landscape of the country.

A former ally of the PPP, the PML-N seems busy building a grand alliance to form a national government.
Everybody is being approached by the PML-N for this alliance with the exception of the PPP.

Both the PML-N and the PPP not only fought a political battle together against the PTI government -- holding rallies around the country and jointly contesting elections -- but also remained coalition partners during the 16-month long tenure of the previous government.

The two parties developed some differences over the issue of the elections’ date but even on that front, the disagreements did not turn into a rivalry.

After PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country, there were speculations of both parties exchanging calls, leading many to believe that a meeting was in the offing.

The PML-N forming an alliance in Sindh with the JUI-F, the MQM-P and the GDA was to challenge the PPP’s authority in the province.

Within the PPP, there was a split over the reasoning of why the PML-N was taking that path. Some were of the view that it was because of the ‘powerful circles’, while others said it was purely a political move to checkmate the PPP in Sindh.

Talking to The Express Tribune, former PPP leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said irrespective of the reasons behind this “shadow boxing” between the two parties, this was a “zero-sum exercise”.

“Both [parties] don’t have any public support. This exercise would not yield any results,” he added.

He said the PML-N had two narratives -- one of “giving respect to vote” and the other of the party “capable of good governance”.

Khokhar continued that with its 16-month abysmal performance, the PML-N had nullified both of them. He said ganging up on one of its former allies would not give it an edge in terms of votes.

Khokhar maintained that the PPP was unnerved by all this.

“Though there is nothing much it [PPP] can do about it,” he added.

He said the PPP was promised electables from southern Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
“None of the promises made with the PPP were kept,” he claimed.

However, Khokhar said, despite all this, the PPP would not criticise the ‘powerful circles’.

He maintained that the PPP was in a catch-22 situation, where if it criticised the ‘powerful circles’, it would jeopardise its chances of forming a government in Sindh and if it did nothing, it risked giving a walkover to a potential opponent and relinquishing its authority in the province.

A PPP leader talking to The Express Tribune expressed similar views, saying that the party could not afford to offend the ‘powerful circles’.

He said the PPP wanted to patch up with the ‘powerful circles’.

The PPP leader added that it was his party that never shied away from criticising the ‘powerful circles’ during the PTI’s tenure, but that freedom was not there anymore.

“The PPP is living in a different world now. It is unfortunate but without the blessings of the ‘powerful circles’, no political party can survive in Pakistan,” he claimed.

However, he said, the PML-N, despite having the wind in its sails, had only managed to alienate its supporters.
On the other hand, he maintained that the PPP was in a better position than before.

Another PPP leader, this one from Punjab, said the matters were very unpredictable right now, and their party would rather sit back and observe instead of taking a hasty position.

He said the ‘powerful circles’ tried to undo the PTI by forcing its leaders to quit the party and by arresting its activists but these actions did not affect its popularity.

He continued that they later formed the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), but that experiment “miserably failed” as well.

“Then they re-launched the PML-N, but realising that it does not carry the kind of public support they thought, they were bringing more parties into the mix. Which means even they are failing to read the terrain,” he claimed.

He elaborated that during such fickle times, it was better to keep yourself “available”, adding that you never know when they might need you.

Secondly, he said all the PPP wanted is for the ‘powerful circles’ to give a level playing field to all the political parties and let the people vote for whoever they wanted.

PPP Acting Central Punjab President Rana Farooq insisted that his party was not worried about any alliance. He added that the PPP had always relied on the people to vote them into power.

“This ‘ladla plus’ [favorite plus] can join hands with whoever they want, it does not worry us,” he claimed.

When asked whose “blue-eyed boy” was the PML-N, Farooq replied that it was an “open secret”.

Responding to the query if the PPP was worried about those behind the PML-N, he said this was yet to be determined if it would continue enjoying their support till the elections or not.

Farooq, who is usually believed to be an outspoken leader of his party, seemed very cautious about the question related to the “blue-eyed boy” and refrained from even mentioning the ‘powerful circles’ once in his reply.

PPP spokesperson Faisal Karim Kundi was not available for comments.

In a related development, party sources revealed that PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari was travelling to Lahore this week and was expected to stay there for a couple of days.

When asked if any meeting was expected between Zardari and the PML-N leadership, the sources said the possibility that happening could not be ruled out but as of now, there were no such plans.

The PML-N supremo was traveling to Quetta on Monday for two days, according to party leader Ayaz Sadiq.
During his stay in Quetta, Nawaz would meet with the political leaders there and invite them to join his party.
Earlier in the week, Kundi revealed that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari would be traveling to the K-P on November 16.

However, Bilawal’s spokesperson Zulfiqar Ali Badar claimed that the party chairman was expected to visit the K-P, but the dates had not been finalised.